- NYC: City council votes to advance bill that would ban horse-drawn carriages
Source: CBC News [Canadian state media]
“New York City council passed a bill Thursday that would ban horse-drawn carriage rides by June 2028, pulling back the reins after the death of a teenage tourist last spring. The legislation requires Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s office to develop a plan by next April to help the more than 150 remaining drivers and the rest of the industry find other jobs, though its provisions are vague and doesn’t set clear benchmarks for displaced workers. Instead, it requires city hall to come up with a program that includes job referrals, career counselling and educational opportunities. It also allows the administration to consider some form of compensation for industry workers.” (10/22/26)
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/new-york-horse-carriage-ban-9.7391918
- Palestine: Israeli regime frees suspects in two squatter attacks as West Bank pogroms intensify
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“Israel has released nine of the 10 Israeli [squatter] suspects arrested over attacks on a US journalist and European diplomats in the occupied West Bank, placing them under house arrest. An Israeli court in Jerusalem ordered the release late on Wednesday, according to Honenu, a law firm that represents Israeli [squatters]. … Masked [squatters] were filmed last week assaulting Heidi Levine, a Washington Post photojournalist covering a Palestinian olive harvest who was taken to hospital and underwent surgery on a finger. In a separate attack earlier this week, masked [squatters] assaulted French, Belgian and Polish diplomats and a French mayor in another part of the West Bank.” (10/22/26)
- US DOJ Investigating Ex-heimatschutz official Corey Lewandowski
Source: United Press International
“The U.S. Department of Justice has opened a probe into allegations former Department of Homeland Security official Corey Lewandowski profited off his position, according to U.S. media reports. The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and CNN cited unnamed people with the situation as saying the investigation follows a criminal referral by the DHS inspector general for Lewandowski, who served as former DHS Secretary Kriski Noem’s de facto chief of staff. Lewandowski and Noem were ousted from DHS in March following embarrassing disclosures about infighting and spending at the agency. … Either Lewandowski or close associations approved nearly all DHS spending decisions on sums of more than $100,000, giving him insight into the contractors the agency worked with and the power to hold up contracts.” (10/22/26)
- Tom Skerritt, 1933-2026
Source: Variety
“Tom Skerritt, who starred in the TV series ‘Picket Fences’ and appeared in movies ranging from ‘MASH’ to ‘Alien,’ ‘Top Gun,’ ‘A River Runs Through It’ and ‘Ted,’ died on Wednesday of natural causes, Variety has confirmed with his publicist. He was 93. The lean, rugged, mustachioed actor won an Emmy in 1993 and was also nominated in 1994 for playing Jimmy Brock, sheriff of the oddball town at the center of David E. Kelley’s CBS dramedy ‘Picket Fences.'” (10/22/26)
https://variety.com/2026/film/news/tom-skerritt-dead-picket-fences-alien-1236921694/
- ICC wins EU Parliament’s human rights prize
Source: Politico
“The International Criminal Court has won this year’s Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, awarded by the European Parliament, according to two people with knowledge of the decision. The €50,000 prize honors defenders of human rights and freedom of thought, with past winners including Nelson Mandela, Alexei Navalny, Belarusian journalists, and the people of Ukraine. The Socialists and Democrats group nominated the ICC following U.S. President Donald Trump’s sanctions on the court, announced on Oct. 9.” (10/22/26)
https://www.politico.eu/article/icc-wins-eu-parliaments-human-rights-prize/
- OR: Teacher in shooting said she pretended to be dead to survive
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“A 54-year-old teacher who survived a mass shooting at an Oregon elementary school said she pretended to be dead so the gunman would not shoot her again. Becky Drury, a teacher at Silver Rail Elementary School, said in a statement shared with US media that as she tried to shut her classroom door, the gunman shot her and she fell to the floor. ‘I did the only thing I could do, which was to pretend to be dead in the hope he would not shoot me again,’ Drury said. The attacker – who has been identified as a 16-year-old former student at the school – killed three students and a teacher before a parent from the school fatally shot him. In her first remarks since the 15 October shooting in Bend, Oregon, Drury said that she went to see what was happening outside the special-education classroom, and after spotting the shooter, she tried to shut the door.” (10/22/26)
- FL: Mayor charged with stealing COVID-19 business relief funds
Source: United Press International
“Authorities have arrested the mayor of Kissimmee, Fla., on allegations that she abused her office and stole tens of thousands of dollars in COVID-19 relief funds intended to help local businesses recover from the pandemic. Eva Jacquelyn Espinosa was arrested Wednesday on one count each of grand theft and organized scheme to defraud, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced in a press conference. … The charges stem from the City of Kissimmee’s Business Boost 2.0 Grant Program, a federally funded program launched in September 2025 to aid small businesses in overcoming lingering economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.” (10/22/26)
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2026/10/22/Kissimee-mayor-arrested/3021792640608/
- Slotkin’s viral “threat to conservatives” takes new twist as student moves to hold her accountable
Source: Fox News
“Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) is facing an ethics complaint filed to the United States Senate over comments she made earlier this month that many characterized as a ‘threat’ to conservatives who are thinking about working for the Trump administration. During an Oct. 13 University of Chicago event, Slotkin drew criticism after a clip went viral showing her saying she wants to pursue ‘signature cases’ against people who ‘enabled’ President Donald Trump and push a ‘deterrence message’ for young people. ‘I want young people coming out of school to say, ‘Should I go work for the Trump administration?’ … Slotkin is now facing an ethics complaint filed Thursday by Michael Bicksel, a University of Chicago student who first reported her remarks.” (10/22/26)
- Trump regime points finger at Musk in Starlink confusion
Source: The Hill
“Top Trump administration officials are starting to point fingers squarely at Elon Musk for the decision to slow down his company’s Starlink satellite internet services and its military counterpart Starshield for Ukraine. Looking to deflect the controversial move — which was swiftly admonished by powerful congressional Republicans and Democrats — Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday said Ukraine’s access to Starlink was up to Musk and not the White House. ‘The bottom line is that that is governed by a private commercial contract as to how their stuff can be used and what speeds they’ll allow it to be used at,’ Rubio told reporters while traveling to India. And Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, speaking to reporters on Tuesday, suggested Starlink’s slowdown was a commercial matter and not a result of any orders from the White House.” (10/22/260
- Ireland: Dail votes to end UN approval requirement for overseas peacekeeping missions
Source: France 24 [French state media]
“Irish lawmakers voted Wednesday in favour of controversial legislation to scrap a mechanism preventing the overseas deployment of Irish military peacekeepers without a green light from the United Nations. The Dail, Ireland’s lower house of parliament, approved the bill by 79 votes to 71, despite opposition warnings that the move threatens the country’s longstanding military neutrality. Ireland is not a NATO member, but its small defence force of just over 8,000 personnel has traditionally engaged in international peacekeeping operations. … The government argues that Ireland should be able to respond to crises without waiting for approval from the UN Security Council.” (10/22/260
https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20261022-ireland-votes-un-veto-overseas-peacekeeping-missions
- SCOTUS says New Hampshire student IDs can’t be used to vote in November
Source: NBC News
“In a win for Republicans, the Supreme Court said Thursday that student IDs cannot be used in New Hampshire for the midterm elections. The justices granted an emergency request filed by the state, which had the backing of the Republican National Committee. The ballot in New Hampshire includes a closely watched Senate race that could play a key role in deciding control of the chamber. Republican former Sen. John E. Sununu is pitted against Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas for the seat held by retiring Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen. The brief court order said a federal judge should not have ordered a change in voting rules so close to the Nov. 3 election, citing existing precedent on that point.” (10/22/26)
- Crowd of 50 beats foreigner to death in South Africa
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“A foreign national has been beaten to death by a crowd of about 50 people in Durban, South Africa, police say. According to police, the unidentified man, believed to be in his late 30s or early 40s, was first approached by two men by the roadside before being assaulted by a larger group. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Police have launched an investigation into the murder, with the motive yet to be established. The killing follows a wave of protests against immigrants in South Africa this year, some of which have turned violent. Earlier this month, shops and cars were set on fire in Durban, as well as Soweto, near Johannesburg. Provincial police spokesperson Robert Netshiunda told the BBC they cannot speculate on the motive for the killing in Durban and that more information would be shared once verified.” (10/22/26)
- Trump tries to buy votes by plastering name on Amazon refund checks
Source: Politico
“Millions of Americans are expected to receive a settlement check from Amazon credited to ‘President Trump’s Federal Trade Commission’ in an unprecedented move coming weeks before the midterm elections. The checks, part of a $2.5 billion settlement Amazon agreed to in 2025 for allegedly deceiving customers into signing up for Prime subscriptions, mark the first time an FTC refund has attributed the payments to a specific president, two former FTC officials told POLITICO. A notice with the checks in question uses the phrase ‘President Trump’s Federal Trade Commission’ three times. … A review of refund checks distributed by the FTC during the current Trump and previous Biden administrations shows the Amazon payouts are the only ones in which a president is credited. That includes settlements with companies including Epic Games, Grubhub, Credit Karma and Walmart.” (10/21/26)
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/10/21/amazon-trump-midterms-settlement-01130666
- VA: State senator indicted, accused of leading cannabis distribution enterprise
Source: Fox News
“Virginia state Senator Lillie Louise Lucas was indicted Thursday on five charges that include drug trafficking, money laundering, fraud and firearms charges after being accused of running a marijuana distribution enterprise, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Lucas is among seven indicted in the sprawling racketeering scheme, a group that includes her two daughters, Lisa Lucas-Burke and Theresa Lucas-Lamb, and her grandson Ryan Eichelberger, Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a Thursday press conference. ‘Louise Lucas has served in a position of public trust in the Commonwealth of Virginia for over three decades,’ Blanche said in a DOJ statement. ‘The charges alleged in this indictment reveal the behavior of a public servant who put her own financial interests before the people she was elected to serve.'” (10/22/26)
- Italian, Spanish Regimes Lift Border Controls Brought in After Ceuta Migrant Rush
Source: US News & World Report
“Italy and Spain have agreed to lift border controls on each other’s citizens, the interior ministry in Rome said on Friday, ending a three-month dispute triggered by the rush of migrants into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. Italy’s right-wing government first suspended its open-border arrangements with Spain on July 31, saying it wanted to make sure no migrants entering Ceuta could travel on to its territory. Madrid responded by taking similar action against Rome, describing the Italian measures as ‘unjust, contrary to European Union interests, and discriminatory to the population of Spain’. The Italian and Spanish interior ministers spoke on the phone and agreed not to extend their suspension of the European Union’s open-border Schengen arrangements, the Italian statement said.” (10/22/26)
- First Ebola patients in Nigeria & Kenya might have crossed paths at Uganda airport
Source: SFGate
“The first Ebola patients confirmed in Kenya and Nigeria might have crossed paths at an airport in Uganda earlier this month, African health officials said Thursday as they race to trace and slow an outbreak that has spread to several African countries. Both patients are known to have traveled through Uganda’s Entebbe International Airport on Oct. 3, said Dr. Wessam Mankoula, head of emergency preparedness and response at the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ‘One of the issues we are currently investigating has been some sort of interaction between the two cases at the airport,’ Mankoula said. The current Ebola outbreak emerged in Congo in May and the disease has since been detected in three other African countries, becoming the continent’s most geographically widespread Ebola outbreak in history.” (10/22/26)
- Meta creates a new stock class to keep Zuckerberg in control
Source: Business Insider
“Meta’s board wants Mark Zuckerberg to stick around. The company announced a new category of non-voting Class C stock in its third-quarter earnings report. It listed several reasons for creating the new class — one of which is to keep the CEO in control. … The stock class will also provide Meta the ability to finance its growth, the earnings report said. Meta is spending big on AI and the data centers needed to power it. The company reported $34.91 billion in third-quarter capital expenditures. Meta’s press release said the distribution would effectively amount to a two-for-one stock split for existing shareholders.” (10/21/26)
https://www.businessinsider.com/meta-stock-split-keep-mark-zuckerberg-2026-10
- The Bleatings Will Continue Until Morale Improves
Hey, everyone …
Yesterday was our annuual fundraiser’s second “zero-dollar day” in a row. Our total remains stuck at $1,003.
We need to reach $2,751.50, after which supporter GL will “match funds” to get us to the $5,503 goal … and things WERE moving pretty fast in that direction until the last couple of days.
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Here’s where I point out that we’ve been bringing you Rational Review News Digest every non-holiday weekday for 24 years (as of this coming December 24), and for more than 35 years by incorporation of our predecessor publications (Libernet and Freedom News Daily).
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OK, I’m out of here for a medical appointment. It seems I have a hole in my retina, which kinda freaks me out. Not badly enough to keep me from bringing you your daily dose of news, commentary, and podcast action, though. And not badly enough to keep me from using my ailment as a fundraising prop. Feel free to help with my copay at:
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Yours in liberty,
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Publisher
Rational Review News Digest / Freedom News Daily - US troops and diplomats evacuated from Middle East as Trump “considers” re-launching war of aggression
Source: Daily Mirror [UK]
“US troops have been evacuated from bases in the Middle East as reports suggest Trump is planning major strikes on Iran. The State Department is also reducing its staff at diplomatic posts across the region, including in Saudi Arabia where Iran-backed Houthi rebels [sic] continue to launch attacks. A US official and two people familiar with the orders told NBC News that troops stationed at bases in Jordan, Qatar and Kuwait have been ordered to move in recent days. Sources claimed the move is part of the military’s planning as Trump considers restarting major combat operations in Iran – potentially before next month’s midterm elections.” (10/22/26)
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/us-news/trump-saudi-usa-diplomats-iran-37797858
- Judge rules against US heimatschutz’s door-to-door harassment/intimidation operations
Source: CBS News
“A federal judge ruled late Wednesday that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s practice of knocking on doors and asking people about their immigration status — and whether they have voted in recent elections — likely violates the Voting Rights Act. … In her ruling, U.S. District Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin ordered federal immigration authorities to stop carrying out ‘elections-related field operations and field interviews’ in nine states, including California and New York, if the operations are likely to involve people who government officials ‘know, suspect, or should reasonably know or suspect are U.S. citizens.’ Her order will remain in effect until polls close on Election Day. She stayed the ruling until 5 p.m. on Friday, which will give the government a chance to seek appeal.” (10/21/26)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/judge-dhs-noncitizen-voters-ruling/
- The Debt Limit’s Lame-Duck Test: Can Republicans Cut Spending?
Source: The Daily Economy
by Romina Boccia“Congress may raise the debt limit again, as spending surges and the deficit widens. Does fiscal restraint have any defenders left?” (10/22/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/the-debt-limits-lame-duck-test-can-republicans-cut-spending/
- Despite Democratic Denials, French Police Identify Antifa as the “Ideologically Distinct Group” Behind the Riots
Source: Jonathan Turley
by Jonathan Turley“Years ago, I called Antifa ‘the Keyser Söze of the left’ (after the character in ‘The Usual Suspects’). In the film, the character Virgil explains how Söze stayed in the shadows: he became ‘a myth, a spook story that criminals tell their kids at night.’ The strategy was too simple: ‘the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he did not exist.’ Democratic leaders have long fostered the myth around Antifa, the largest and most violent group on the political left. For years, they have denied the existence of the group even as members were charged with crimes (including terrorism). Now, the French authorities have found that the nonexistent group is the largest of three ‘ideologically distinct groups’ responsible for the violence in France. It appears that either the entire French security system is delusional or the trick is up for the American left.” (10/22/26)
- Trump’s DOJ is using antitrust law to punish the free press
Source: USA Today
by Ben Sperry“When the networks suspended pool coverage, they were not conspiring to manipulate prices or exclude rival news organizations. They were conducting a boycott in solidarity with their banned colleagues.” (10/22/26)
- Vaccine Schedules: Global Policies & Trump’s Order
Source: Independent Institute
by Dr. David Gortler“There is a wide disparity across the globe when it comes to childhood vaccination policies. American kids receive up to 75 vaccines, twice as many as kids in other countries. That is why if Dr. Heidi Overton is confirmed as the next director of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), one of her top priorities should be helping to drive President Trump’s mandate to study the safety and comparative outcomes of the current vaccine schedule to that of other countries. High on her list of priorities will surely be the two executive orders President Trump signed this year to promote the health of American children, especially since there doesn’t appear to be any movement on either.” (10/22/26)
https://www.independent.org/article/2026/10/22/childhood-vaccine-schedule-policies/
- The American Way of Execution
Source: Washington Monthly
by James D Zirin“Public executions (what comes to mind is the Reign of Terror in France) may have been the order of the day in 1789 at the time of the Constitution, but they have certainly been viewed as barbaric in contemporary times. When the Hasan execution was still a live possibility, Vice President JD Vance said he doubted the livestream would take place, adding that he wouldn’t watch it anyway, as did Speaker Mike Johnson. A poll released last Thursday showed Americans were overwhelmingly against the whacko idea. Despite the cancellation, religious scholars worry it did damage.” (10/22/26)
https://washingtonmonthly.com/2026/10/22/the-american-way-of-execution/
- UK To Push The “Antisemitism” Psyop Even Harder In Schools
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone“The more children Israel kills, the more unpopular it becomes. The more unpopular Israel becomes, the more violently we are throat-fucked with the narrative that ‘antisemitism’ is a major problem in our society. The UK’s Department for Education has released a 107-page review which asserts that much more needs to be done to protect Jewish students in England from discrimination. In and of itself this sounds perfectly reasonable, until you look at the actual document. The review, led by Sir David Bell, mentions the word ‘political’ or ‘geopolitical’ no fewer than 125 times. It mentions the word ‘Israel’ or ‘Israeli’ 60 times and the word ‘Palestine’ or ‘Palestinian’ 35 times. So, as always, it is clear that this isn’t actually about protecting a religious minority from persecution.” (10/22/26)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2026/10/22/uk-to-push-the-antisemitism-psyop-even-harder-in-schools/
- Is your phone making you less tolerant?
Source: Expression
by Chapin Lenthall-Cleary“We’ve previously used a tool we call the Free Speech Map to show how tolerant different groups are of hypothetical campus speakers, often as a way to assess how certain traits cause or are linked to tolerance. In our newest College Free Speech Rankings, we asked students where they get their news, including an option for social media. So let’s put that question onto the free speech map …” (10/22/26)
https://expression.fire.org/p/is-your-phone-making-you-less-tolerant
- How to Escape the Land Trap
Source: Liberal Currents
by Jack Billings“The supply of land is constrained. An increase in demand for a location thus means higher land prices. If zoning and building rules also constrain the supply of buildings and housing, then increased demand for a location will also make those buildings and housing expensive …. Mike Bird in The Land Trap explores these relationships with a gallop through history starting in ancient Babylon, arriving in the late 19th century in western Europe and the United States—he pays appropriate homage to George—then ends the book with chapters on Japan, Hong Kong, China, and Singapore.” (10/22/26)
https://www.liberalcurrents.com/how-to-escape-the-land-trap/
- Launching a Second Scientific Revolution
Source: Brownstone Institute
by Jayanta Bhattacharya“At the root of the scientific revolution was the idea that there was not and should never be a scientific authority. For centuries, a small number of ecclesiastical powers had decided such questions as whether the moons of Jupiter move. The scientific revolution placed these questions in the hands of a lot of very smart scientists, including those with telescopes. Unfortunately, we find ourselves back in a situation today, as demonstrated a few years ago by the Covid lockdowns, mask mandates, and vaccination requirements, where a relatively small number of people—directors of government agencies like the National Institutes of Health, heads of international agencies like the World Health Organization, and editors of prestigious journals—have the power to say what is true or false in science.” (10/22/26)
https://brownstone.org/articles/launching-a-second-scientific-revolution/
- Bridging the infant care gap: Reviving America’s At-Home Infant Care programs
Source: Niskanen Center
by Sanya Bahal & Joshua McCabe“The birth of a child and the months that follow mark a special period in a family’s life. While it is a joyous occasion, it can also be a time of acute stress on family finances. The cost of baby supplies and childcare can significantly increase a family’s spending while household income declines over the same period. This financial dynamic is nearly universal, impacting parents whether they are single, cohabiting, or married.” (10/22/26)
- Kentucky can cut health premiums without spending a dime
Source: Bluegrass Institute
by Caleb O Brown, Michael F Cannon, & Niklas Kleinworth‘Obamacare premiums are rising faster than Congress can subsidize them. Legislation proposed in the last session would have pulled Kentucky out of this nosedive and saved Kentuckians 60 percent or more on their health insurance.” (10/22/26)
https://www.bluegrassinstitute.org/cut-health-premiums-without-spending-a-dime/
- Trump Critic: He’s “Racist” Because He “Demeans” Black Politicians
Source: Town Hall
by Larry Elder“A caller to my show rattled off President Donald Trump’s supposed ‘racist’ sins: Trump called African countries ‘shithole’ countries; he refused to rent to blacks; he said he did not want blacks counting his money at his casinos — he wanted Jews to do the counting; and he demeans black politicians like Democrat Rep. Maxine Waters (CA-43) by calling her ‘low IQ.’ Who does that? Donald John Trump, that’s who. Yes, Trump denounces some black politicians, specifically some black Democrat politicians whom Trump feels have unfairly and viciously attacked him. But Trump, unlike most Republicans who tiptoe around black Democratic antagonists for fear of being called racist, drops a colorblind hammer.” (10/22/26)
- Among Wave Elections, 1994 Stands Alone
Source: Dispatch
by Carroll Doherty“When Democrats dream about how big their ‘blue wave’ might be on November 3, they tend to draw on historical comparisons: Can the party replicate its success of 2018, when Democrats picked up 40 seats in the House but failed to take back the Senate, or perhaps even 2006, when Democrats swept to majorities in both chambers? Perhaps no one is more bullish on the party’s prospects than Democratic pollster John Anzalone, who recently reached all the way back to 1994 in search of a possible precedent. This election ‘feels much more like 1994 than any other cycle I have been through in 40 years,’ Anzalone wrote on X. Now that was a wave election.” (10/22/26)
https://thedispatch.com/article/republicans-1994-midterms-newt-gingrich/
- California just showed how home batteries will radically remake the grid
Source: Grist
by Matt Simon“Until recently, you’ve had no choice but to be a passive participant in the electrical grid, paying exorbitantly for the juice that flows into your home. But you’re about to play a much more active role — if you’re not already — and get paid to send power from your home battery or electric vehicle to the energy system. Even if you’re a renter, you may be able to buy solar panels that plug into a wall outlet, turning your balcony into your own tiny power plant. Earlier this month, a punishing California heat wave showed just how this more flexible grid can help absorb spikes in demand.” (10/22/26)
- The Rhetorical Triumph of the Neo-Nazis
Source: Washington Monthly
by David Masciotra“Here’s a grim reality that few would have predicted in the 1990s: Neo-Nazi rhetoric and ideology have found a place in American political discourse. You don’t have to believe America is fascist to become alarmed that crackpot rhetoric has found its way into the national dialogue. Review the ravings of Timothy McVeigh, watch footage of a neo-Nazi rally, or even sit down with a 1998 movie like American History X, the story of a skinhead played by Edward Norton, and you will discern a disturbing pattern. Beyond epithets, the vocabulary of lunacy and hatred is now part of our vernacular.” (10/22/26)
https://washingtonmonthly.com/2026/10/22/the-rhetorical-triumph-of-the-neo-nazis/
- War Is A Policy, Not An Inevitability
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Joseph Solis-Mullen“One of the most persistent myths about war is that it is sometimes inevitable. States are carried along by the impersonal forces of history: the balance of power, alliance commitments, ideological antagonisms, the rise and decline of great powers, et cetera. Leaders may make mistakes along the way, but these are trivia, for the ultimate outcome was determined by circumstances beyond their control. And while it is true the international environment constrains the choices available to statesmen, sometimes severely, constraints are not immutable laws, and circumstances do not make decisions. But the false and persistent narratives are politically useful to the powerful, for the invocation of historical necessity serves to excuse the decisions of those who possess the power to make war and obfuscate their ultimate responsibility for having failed to do otherwise.” (10/22/260
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/war-is-a-policy-not-an-inevitability/
- War Livestock: When Power Treats People as Expendable
Source: CounterPunch
by Peter Rodgers“On September 28, Brent crude climbed more than 2 percent after President Donald Trump rejected an Iranian proposal to end the conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Six days earlier, speaking before the United Nations, Trump had presented two possibilities: a deal with Tehran or the ‘annihilation of the Islamic Republic’. Even after rejecting the proposal, he said negotiations could continue. One president retained the power to bargain, refuse or escalate; millions of people were left to live with the consequences. That gap between who decides and who pays is the subject of the Iran war. It has a name: war livestock.” (10/22/26)
https://www.counterpunch.org/2026/10/22/war-livestock-when-power-treats-people-as-expendable/
- France and the limits of liberalism
Source: Noahpinion
by Noah Smith“Immigration, the welfare state, and Keynesian economics are all showing signs of strain.” (10/22/26)
https://www.noahpinion.blog/p/france-and-the-limits-of-liberalism
- Trump’s Gamble to End the Iran War
Source: The Atlantic
by Nancy A Youssef & Jonathan Lemire“President Trump has been hearing lately from two trusted confidants, each promising a quick path to ending the war in Iran. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has argued that Iran is on the brink of economic collapse and that a U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, combined with sanctions, will force Tehran to capitulate at the negotiation table. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a series of calls with Trump, has offered a different route: one more round of devastating U.S. and Israeli strikes to topple the regime. Now the Trump administration appears to be considering combining the two approaches, betting that Iran is already on the verge of economic ruin and that a few more major strikes will be enough to trigger regime change.” (10/22/26)
- To Defeat MAGA, Dems Must Win on Immigration
Source: Common Dreams
by Orion Hall“MAGA is an insidious political ‘movement’ that is the inevitable conclusion of the project started with the infamous Powell Memorandum in 1972. Formally titled ‘Attack on American Free Enterprise System’, the Powell Memo is a call to arms for the oligarchy in the US to push for a set of policies that benefit the wealthy while waging a narrative battle designed to get the working class to support these policies to their own detriment. The Powell Memo is not hypothetical: it is the blueprint that the modern conservative movement has followed, and the result some 50 years later is MAGA. The central narrative of MAGA is essentially this: Some other group of people is preventing you (typically white, Christian, straight, cisgender men) from having the basic things in life that you deserve.” (10/22/26)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/dems-must-win-on-immigration
- Trump turned the government into an investor. Democrats have shopping plans, too.
Source: Semafor
by Eleanor Mueller“As President Donald Trump continues buying government stakes in private companies, the rest of Washington is starting to appreciate the power of his new tool. The Trump administration has so far announced 43 equity stakes in firms producing everything from minerals to semiconductors, 36 of which were negotiated without explicit legal authority — and more are yet to come. … Thanks to the precedent Trump has set, a future Democratic president could reap multiple benefits from equity stakes in private companies. Among them, as former Biden administration officials suggested: reining in the AI industry, shrinking defense spending, boxing China out of critical sectors, and pressuring gun and oil companies.” (10/22/260
- GOP Spending Swells US Deficit to Nearly $2 Trillion for 2026
Source: Cobden Centre
by Ryan McMaken“The Treasury Department released its monthly statement on Friday and has now confirmed what we all suspected: the US federal government, under the Trump Administration, will finish the 2026 fiscal year with an annual fiscal deficit of about $2 trillion. To be precise, the federal deficit for the 2026 fiscal year, which ended on September 30, is $1.99 trillion. That’s the third largest deficit ever recorded.” (10/22/26)
https://www.cobdencentre.org/2026/10/gop-spending-swells-us-deficit-to-nearly-2-trillion-for-2026/
- The Techlash Is Coming
Source: Liberal Currents
by Chuck Babbage“The backlash against Silicon Valley awfulness—call it a ‘techlash’—is a force that can be turned into remedying actions. It’s not a policy platform. It’s not a solution. It’s a question: How do we tame the corporate monsters to the point where they can be held accountable for making these destructive products? And here are two answers: by wielding the tools of product liability law and antitrust reform.” (10/22/26)
- Curious What Canada’s PM Considers Threat to “Peace”
Source: Antiwar.com
by Yves Engler“Since Donald Trump began his second term, the US has bombed nine countries/territories. According to New America, the Trump administration has hit Somalia 211 times. Over the past thirteen months 71 US maritime strikes in the hemisphere have killed over 200 and in January US forces killed nearly 100 when they kidnapped Venezuela’s President. An eight-week US bombing campaign of Yemen last year killed at least 224 civilians as part of an effort to enable Israel’s genocide and last month the Trump administration gave the Jewish supremacist state $2.8 billion worth of mostly 2,000-pound bombs. Over 40 days at the start of the year the US launched 10,000 strikes on Iran. In one attack, 120 schoolgirls were killed. Carney has either supported or ignored all of that violence. But the prime minister responded to the US president announcing a plan to purchase Russian diesel as a threat to ‘peace’.” (10/22/26)
- Interoperability vs. Security: Why not both?
Source: Electronic Frontier Foundation
by Bill Budington & Rory Mir“An open internet where people can freely build, share, and remix each other’s work is a powerful engine of grassroots innovation we’ve all benefited from. In recent decades, however, corporations have taken control of an increasing share of this work, giving them a greater ability to stifle challengers and limit our choices. When regulators address this by mandating that tech giants play fair by requiring interoperability, the gatekeepers respond with a tired refrain: Playing fair puts users’ security at risk. Unfortunately for these trillion-dollar companies, this gotcha isn’t the end of the conversation. Regulators can ensure that meaningful choice and security thrive.” (10/21/26)
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/10/interoperability-vs-security-why-not-both
- California’s Wealth Tax Fails Hayek’s Rule-of-Law Test
Source: Independent Institute
by Daniel Sánchez-Piñol“The architects of Proposition 40—California’s proposed 5 percent tax on billionaire net worth—say they want to tame inequality. But in their rush to redistribute wealth, they risk undermining something more fundamental: the rule of law. F.A. Hayek warned that the crusade for ‘social justice’ inevitably collides with the rule of law. The design of Prop 40 proves this point. According to Hayek, laws should meet three basic criteria: they should be non-retroactive, predictable in their consequences, and general rather than tailored to particular people or circumstances. Prop 40 fails on all three.” (10/21/26)
https://www.independent.org/article/2026/10/21/californias-wealth-tax-fails-hayeks-rule-of-law-test/
- Trump trying “Art of the Deal” in Ukraine, but what must Putin give up?
Source: Fox News
by Lt. Col. Robert Maginnis, (ret.)“Russian missiles keep falling on Ukrainian cities while Washington holds up approval of Patriot interceptor transfers to Ukraine, according to The Washington Post. A Ukrainian official told the Post that only ‘a couple’ of interceptors remained. President Donald Trump wants this war to end, and that goal deserves support. But a deal that squeezes only Ukraine is not a peace plan, and right now Kyiv absorbs the pressure while Moscow collects the relief. Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged on Oct. 20 that a batch bought for Kyiv may not have been delivered, but he rejected any political motive. ‘There’s nothing being deliberately denied to Ukraine,’ he said. So is Washington protecting scarce supplies, applying negotiating pressure or both? Americans deserve an answer, including what concessions Washington expects from Russian President Vladimir Putin.” (10/22/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/trump-trying-art-deal-ukraine-what-must-putin-give-up
- Reining in the National Security Establishment, Euro Edition
Source: American Greatness
by Bart Marcois“Protecting a country and protecting its bureaucracy are not the same job. That distinction offers the strongest explanation of Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš’s security shake-up. It also reveals a connection with President Donald Trump that goes beyond their political personalities: a shared determination to restore democratic accountability to national security institutions that have become insulated from the governments they are supposed to serve. What happens when intelligence institutions, bureaucratic interests, and political power become so intertwined that protecting the establishment takes precedence over protecting the state? The current Czech government faces this problem, just as President Trump has. Throughout the previous administration of Prime Minister Petr Fiala, opposition figures from Babiš’s ANO movement and the populist Motoristé party repeatedly accused the government of weaponizing national security rhetoric to discredit political opponents. Labels such as ‘pro-Russian,’ ‘undemocratic’ and ‘security threat’ became familiar weapons in political debate.” (10/22/26)
https://amgreatness.com/2026/10/22/reining-in-the-national-security-establishment-euro-edition/
- Housing Reform Can Reduce Hawaii’s Poverty
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Keli’i Akina“One of the most effective ways for lawmakers to reduce poverty in Hawaii wouldn’t cost taxpayers a dime: housing reform. … It might be tempting to think that rent control would quickly reduce housing costs. But before lawmakers consider that, they should know such price fixing has been shown to reduce available rental housing and increase rent prices in nearby areas where rent is not controlled. So what could Hawaii do to reduce poverty through housing reform? Simply follow the example of cities that have already seen success: Allow higher-density homebuilding, streamline permitting, simplify building codes, eliminate parking mandates and revise restrictive land-use rules.” (10/21/26)
https://fee.org/articles/housing-reform-can-reduce-hawaiis-poverty/
- France’s New Look
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob“A distraught woman pled with masked men not to destroy a store, identified by reporters (not memesters) as a Franprix supermarket on Rue du Faubourg du Temple. ‘Why are you doing this?‘ she demanded, then screamed ‘this is not the cause!’ All for naught. The rioters brushed past her, breaking windows, looting, committing mayhem. The mob cheered. Her look — of bewilderment and betrayal — has become the new face of France. FAFO, in French fashion.” (10/21/26)
- Elon Musk Reveals How Free Market AI Defeats Government Incompetence
Source: Karl Dickey’s Freedom Vanguard
by Karl Dickey“Federal bureaucrats want to regulate artificial intelligence but private innovation remains our only practical solution to the national debt crisis.” (10/21/26)
https://palmbeachexaminer.substack.com/p/elon-musk-reveals-how-free-market
- European nightfall?
Source: The Price of Liberty
by Nathan Barton“Readers may recall the well-known science fiction story about a planet where, every few centuries, the multiple suns of its system all set and suddenly, the sky was dark and stars appeared. This event would trigger panic: people would start fires and do more to try and end the darkness. This would lead to mass insanity and the civilization would crash and burn. Is that happening in Europe?” (10/21/26)
https://thepriceofliberty.org/2026/10/21/european-nightfall/
- Why Global Trepanation?
Source: Astral Codex Ten
by Scott Alexander“A friend asked me to investigate the following mystery: why do 5-10% of skulls from 10,000 BC to 3,000 BC, all over the world, have holes in them? Why do bone growth patterns indicate that most skull-hole-havers survived years after their holes were drilled, even though brain surgery today requires careful sterilization (and frequently, prophylactic antibiotics) to prevent fatal infections? And why did everyone stop doing this sometime around the beginning of recorded history? Was it cultural diffusion? No. Trepanation (the technical term for drilling a hole in the skull) was common across Europe and South America, with scattered cases in Africa and other continents. The Old and New Worlds had limited contact after about 10,000 BC, and most customs don’t survive for five thousand plus years with no reason.” (10/21/26)
- Hemingway’s war on therapy culture
Source: UnHerd
by Thomas Peermohamed Lambert“Sometimes, it seems, a writer’s style and sensibility can seep into the public consciousness so thoroughly that it washes away all particular facts about the works themselves. Ernest Hemingway is perhaps the paradigm case. Everyone agrees that he is gruff and terse and manly and emotionless; his main interests are bullfighting and big-game hunting and deep-sea fishing and overusing the word ‘and’. Most importantly, the things that tend to preoccupy other great novelists — interpersonal relationships, the delicate gradations of human thought and feeling — tend not to get much of a look in. It is for this reason that readers who open up The Sun Also Rises, which celebrates its centenary today, might be in for a surprise.” (10/21/26)
https://unherd.com/2026/10/hemingways-war-on-therapy-culture
- As Lawmakers Scrutinize Pentagon Equity Deals, Pentagon Keeps Making Them
Source: The American Prospect
by Zachary Groz“The Trump administration’s campaign to compel hundreds of billions of dollars of new military appropriations out of Congress, citing new materiel needs downstream of its unsanctioned Iran War, has been stalled in the Senate for months. But one unexpected winner has emerged from the congressional stalemate over defense spending: an obscure investment office in the Pentagon known as the Economic Defense Unit (EDU). Earlier this year, Deputy Secretary of Defense Stephen Feinberg stood up the EDU and appointed George Kollitides, a one-time executive at Feinberg’s former private equity firm, Cerberus Capital Management, who recently was the subject of a ProPublica investigation for his role in steering a $350 million Department of Defense contract to a consulting firm where he was a partner until just weeks ago.” (10/22/26)
- Pink Flame of Liberty, 10/22/26
Source: Pink Flame of Liberty
“Harpole v. Owens and Snow – Snow files second MOTION TO DISMISS.” (10/22/26)
- Ron Paul Liberty Report, 10/22/26
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
“Can A Libertarian Take Kentucky? With Guest Jeremy Todd.” (10/22/26)
- Rising, 10/22/26
Source: The Hill
“Robby Soave gives his radar on Bulwark podcast host Kara Swisher suggesting that Elon Musk should ‘be worried’ about the possibility of Democrats regaining control of Congress.” (10/22/26)
- NPR Politics Podcast, 10/22/26
Source: National Public Radio [US state media]
“The peril and promise of presidential power.” (10/22/26)
https://www.npr.org/2026/10/22/nx-s1-6012224/the-peril-and-promise-of-presidential-power
- Command Post, 10/22/26
Source: The Bulwark
“Trump Threatens Service Member Families if Republicans Lose.” (10/22/26)
- The Chris Hedges Report, 10/22/26
Source: The Chris Hedges Report
“How the GOP Is Working to Steal the Midterms (w/ Joel McCleary and Mark Medish).” (10/22/26)
https://chrishedges.substack.com/p/how-the-gop-is-working-to-steal-the
- The Moynihan Report, 10/22/26
Source: The Moynihan Report
“Jay McInerney on Sex, Drugs, and Literary Stardom.” (10/22/26)
https://www.themoynihan.report/p/jay-mcinerney-on-sex-drugs-and-literary
- Advisory Opinions, 10/22/26
Source: The Dispatch
“Who’s the Loneliest Supreme Court Justice?” (10/22/26)
https://thedispatch.com/podcast/advisoryopinions/whos-the-loneliest-supreme-court-justice/
- The Briefing Podcast with Michael Waldman, 10/22/26
Source: The Briefing Podcast with Michael Waldman
“Why vote? (with Saad Amer and Alma Couverthie).” (10/22/26)
- The Blessings of Liberty with Jeffrey Rosen, 10/22/26
Source: The Blessings of Liberty with Jeffrey Rosen
“Hamilton vs. Jefferson.” (10/22/26)
- Politico Playbook Audio Briefing, 10/22/26
Source: Politico
“America’s Heartland sows doubt in the GOP.” (10/22/26)
- The Daily, 10/22/26
Source: New York Times
“The Election That Will Define Israel’s Future.” (10/22/26)
- Kibbe on Liberty, episode 409
Source: Free the People
“Warmongers Are Destroying Your Savings | Guest: JP Cortez.” (10/21/26)
- The Tom Woods Show, episode 2806
Source: The Tom Woods Show
“Climate Hysteria Update.” (10/21/26)
- The Kyle Anzalone Show, 10/21/26
Source: Libertarian Institute
“Larry Johnson: Mother of All Duds?! Can Trump Destroy Pickaxe Mountain?” (10/21/26)
- Fountainhead Forum, episode 504
Source: Fountainhead Forum
“Shelly Arnoldi on running for Congress from Virginia District 8.” (10/21/26)
- Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 10/21/26
Source: Antiwar.com
“US Evacuates Troops and Diplomats From Mideast Posts, US, UAE Airstrikes in North Somalia, and More.” (10/21/26)
- Reason Interview Tarek Mansour
Source: Reason
“Are Prediction Markets Just Gambling? Kalshi CEO Responds.” (10/21/26)
https://reason.com/podcast/2026/10/21/are-prediction-markets-just-gambling-kalshi-ceo-responds/
- Ron Paul Liberty Report, 10/21/26
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
“Hegseth In The Crosshairs.” (10/21/26)
- Reasonably Optimistic, 10/21/26
Source: Washington Post
“Host Megan McArdle is joined by David Weigel, a national politics reporter at Semafor, to discuss the DSA’s rise and the question it raises for Democrats: Is democratic socialism the future of their party?” (10/21/26)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/podcasts/impromptu/how-the-dsa-is-reshaping-the-democratic-party/